When kids grow up with no responsibilities and have everything they need or want given to them freely, there is only one possible outcome: spoiled, entitled brats. This does not mean that they’re bad kids or that selfish behaviors can’t be turned around. It just becomes exponentially more difficult with age, because the patterns and […]

It’s so easy, tempting, and perhaps even automatic for adults to label children. It’s equally easy not to notice how labeling puts kids into particular boxes that over time, they conform to and identify with. Did that ever happen to you? The following real-life story is taken from How to Talk so Kids Can Learn […]

Let’s get real: Kids are not wired to sit still. Boys in particular. Forgive me while I vent for a moment. Hasn’t it occurred to enough adults by now that perhaps it’s not the students who are the problem here? That maybe, just maybe, a system that tries to force boys out of developmentally appropriate […]

Resilience is an important characteristic to have as an adult. Being able to cope with mistakes and failures, bounce back and continue to do our best is a necessary life skill that every parent and teacher I know wants to instill in children. This, of course, takes time – no one I know particularly enjoys […]

Disciplining children is tricky business, and parents often find it helpful to integrate tips from teachers who have been around the block. Although parents and classroom teachers work with kids in different contexts, the same behavior management techniques can be used to great effect. The following is an article from parenting.com, and offers helpful ideas […]

What is social-emotional learning (SEL)? Although it may sound like bliggity-blah jargon, social-emotional learning can help you help your children (and your self) in significant ways. There’s a great deal of overlap between social-emotional learning and mindfulness: they are both about paying attention. SEL is a process of learning life skills, including: –> Emotional regulation […]

“Most parents tell lies to their children as a tactic to change their behavior, suggests a study of families in the United States and China. The most frequent example was parents threatening to leave children alone in public unless they behaved. Persuasion ranged from invoking the support of the tooth fairy to telling children they […]